Sensei/Grasshopper - An April Challenge!

ActiveRain may be the most complete repository of real estate information and expertise available in the galaxy. With over 2.5 million blog posts in the archives and over 220,000 members, it's an information-rich environment that can help anyone find and use tools to improve their business model, adopt and adapt new technology, and achieve success.

And while ActiveRain makes Herculean efforts to help newcomers get oriented and make sense of what at times can seem an incomprehensible and overwhelming array of options and information, it can be a daunting task to get started.

Think back to when you first got here. There was a lot of blogging going on, so obviously you thought that you should start doing that. And what about writing about neighborhoods and stuff - that's what this place calls localism, and a lot of people were doing that, so maybe that was a good idea. And everybody said to just dive in, so you did. And it was fun, and people were nice, and you were certainly learning a lot, just reading blog posts.

But there were some members who mentioned things like getting leads and referrals - apparently they were making money doing stuff here, but how were they managing that? Well, eventually, you figured it out, developed actual strategies for your efforts in the Rain, learned how to make things work, and ActiveRain became a viable part of your business.

But you noticed that a lot of people fell off along the way. Mostly, it seemed, they just couldn't justify the investment of time and effort it took to be here, when there were other important things to do, like cold-calling, door-knocking, and going to sales meetings. It was fun and educational, but it wasn't paying off for them in the way it needed to these days - in increased business.

It's not easy to figure out that part of ActiveRain, but nobody ever really promised easy, did they? The learning curve can be somewhat steep for most people.

This challenge is about flattening out that learning curve a bit. We'd all benefit if more people who joined us found ways to stay and contribute. And they would certainly benefit as well. So we're going to make an effort to help more people find ways to make the Rain work for them. And we're going to try to do it in a way that draws on one of our strongest features as a community - our willingness to engage with each other.

This Challenge is all about mentoring.

There are two ways to participate in this contest:

1. Get a Mentor

We've set up a group - Sensei/Grasshopper - where newer members, or old dogs who want to learn new tricks, can find an experienced guide to help them learn a technique. Write a post to this group requesting help with a subject you'd like to learn how to do. Be as specific as possible in describing what you want. And be practical - we're all busy, so if someone is going to take time to help you, don't ask for something massive and general, like "I'd like to learn to sell homes". What are people doing here that seems interesting and might be something you'd do if you could figure it out?

Understand that we're talking about a short-term commitment - whatever it is, your use of a mentor will only be to set you on the road and show you the way. It wouldn't surprise me if you developed long-lasting friendships and connections from this contest, but that's not a requirement from either side.

By the end of the contest, write a blog post describing your experience - tell us what you learned from your mentor and how you're using it. Post it in Sensei/Grasshopper.

2. Be a Mentor

Go to the Sensei/Grasshopper group and read the posts (if it seems like it would help, use the comment section to help posters refine their requests). Look for someone who needs to learn what you already know. Make a connection and help them get started. Set up a short-term timeline for your assistance.

By the end of the contest, write a blog post describing your experience - tell us what assistance you provided and how it's going to be used. If you'd like, share some detail about your assistance - maybe it can help others as well. Post it in Sensei/Grasshopper.

That's it.

Okay, there are a few guidelines for this challenge:

Dates: This challenge runs from Monday, April 2, 2012 through Sunday, May 13. All posts qualifying for the challenge must be posted by 11:59 PM, May 13 to qualify for points.

Mentor/Mentee: Any ActiveRain member can be either a mentor or mentee (is that a word?), but you can only be one, one-time, for this challenge. We're thinking that this is basically a one-on-one experience, but if you'd like to try something a bit different, e-mail me and we'll see if it makes sense within the general idea of the challenge.

Qualifying for points: Please read this carefully and try to get it right the first time...please? When you have posted your final report to Sensei/Grasshopper, send me an e-mail, with a link to your post, your name & your AR username, and the name of the AR member who you worked with on this challenge.

Points: Everyone who successfully completes the challenge will be awarded 2,500 points!

Questions? E-mail me - richardg@maryanddick.com

Best of luck, and remember - have fun!

Mary & Dick Greenberg Elevations Real Estate LLC 106 East Oak St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com